By Ntombi Mhlongo
As the anticipation of the national elections grows, legal instruments to govern them have been tabled in Parliament.
On Monday, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Pholile Shakantu tabled the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Senate Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Voters Registration (Amendment Bill, 2023 at the House of Assembly.
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The three bills were tabled with a sense of urgency and have been forwarded to the portfolio committee stage. The portfolio committee is expected to scrutinise them in preparation for a debate by the outgoing Members of Parliament (MPs).
Noted is that the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023 contains a variety of amendments. It is stated that the objective of the bill is to provide for the facilitation of an equitable quota nomination of men, women, youth, and people with disabilities in the electoral process.
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Also, the bill is meant to ensure the removal of challenges and gaps encountered in the implementation of an equitable quota of men, women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Furthermore, the bill aims to provide for the promotion of transparency equity, and credibility in the election process and also extend the special voting procedure to other classes.
The MPs were encouraged to speed up the three bills to ensure that they are passed with the urgency they deserve.
